Silence

Now I know I am somewhat jetlagged today as I am cranky and rather quiet......in actual fact "being quiet" is exactly what I need to be today as I have missed my usual self contained field days. Now I love my in laws dearly, but the constant chatter that accompanies being in their ( and Chris' company), whilst on holiday and beyond was a little bit too much....I have to remind myself that for most of the time I am content to be in my own company with only a few fairly silent animals for company!...I am such a crabby old fart, who is stuck in his ways!

After taking Richard to the station, I got stuck in with the field and garden chores. Grass needed to be mown, weeds cleared and the ton of seedlings hiding away in the old enamel bath all needed to be planted. Only one week ago I strimmed the entire field..within 7 days, the whole place looks overgrown and slightly untidy again........The warm wet patch has brought forth a super quick growth spurt from the weeds , grass and hedges.

I dropped off duck eggs, hen eggs and spare turnip seedlings to my Sister's co operative allotment and received broad bean, pea and sunflower seedlings in return. I planted these and also put in runner bean seedlings,parsnips, iceberg lettuce, marigold flowers ( a natural pesticide) and extra pumpkins and onions.

The ducklings were cleaned out yet again and were put into the sun to dry themselves off, and I prepared the smaller crate for the new hen chicks, which are just starting to hatch in the kitchen incubator.

This afternoon I cut the cottage lawn,weeded around the aquilegia (above) which has self seeded in the garden, cleared 7 days of pig latrine (a real disgusting job) and retrieved 3 dead mice from a testosterone filled Albert, who had joined the dogs and I on the field (the hens ate all three within seconds!)

I was so tired I didn't EVEN dare lay down to cloud watch......

BBC 1 HOLLYWOOD 0

The one good thing about flying for 22 hours whilst on holiday is that you generally have the opportunity of watching a few acceptable films......hummm how wrong can one film fanatic be???
British Airways presented me with the following:-

Last Chance Harvey ( a dire "romantic comedy with a lacklustre Dustin Hoffman and the generally excellent Emma Thompson) 5/10

The Day the Earth Stood Still yawn yawn yawn yawn yawn....5/10

P.S. I Love You (another romantic comedy...with " face like a bag of spanners "Hilary Swank in the starring role as a grieving widow) 5/10

Inkheart (Tosh) 3/10

Thank god for Australia (2008) at least 2 hours were wasted away on this enjoyable emotional romp
I had to wait until last night (Jetlagged and wide awake at 2am) to be able to watch a little gem of a tv programme. "The Street" was a tv series created by Liverpudlian Jimmy McGovern three years or so ago. It centred its stories on the "gritty" lives of a working class community in a run down Manchester street, and I was lucky enough to catch episode nine entitled "Demolition"

The storyline was nothing hugely new. It centred upon a working class builder Vincent Regan, a married father of 2 children, who consistently worked away from home to support his family. He shares accommodation with a fellow construction worker (Will Mellor playing against type as a closet gay man) and unexpectedly the two men become romantically involved with traumatic results.
Now this kind of tale ("straight guy confronting his sexuality) is not a particularly innovative storyline...and to be honest I found much of the plot lines (Regan being ostracised by his redneck colleagues for example) rather hackneyed and stereotypical, but what really impressed me was the towering performance given by Vincent Regan (above left) .
He dominated the screen with a tortured and complex portrayal of an ordinary man suddenly faced with an opportunity to be himself after more than forty years . I was incredibly moved by his performance despite the jet lag. Make sure you watch it if you can
9/10

Second Chances and Back to Normality

I found myself slightly flummoxed this morning, as when I opened up the wooden ark out popped a fairly sprightly and brighter Susan! (above pic when she was a youngster!) I think Richard had actually mixed up the hens' names so after a detailed head count I worked out that the actual casualties were Robina and Shelley Winters (one of the Buffs)- which is sad.
I cooked some pasta this afternoon and Susan ate the whole portion, perhaps she has finally turned the sick hen corner
I picked up the Welsh terriers from the kennels this morning, and according to the kennel owner both had spent a sleepless week barking their heads off in doggy hysteria. I bathed all four dogs early and Meg and William have slept the day away, their first proper rest since we left for San Francisco!.....I am yet to catch up with my sleep!

The hens' eggs in the incubator are due to hatch within the next couple of days, I "bobbed" several of them with Richard in tow, and most seem to be housing a bouncing chick....let's hope so, I have tentative orders for at least 8 hen chicks from interested locals.

I have also conscripted five provisional members for my poultry course, which I am very pleased about, I am to start teaching it in June.

Richard goes back to Broadstairs tomorrow, and has spent much of the day shopping and lunching with Chris as I caught up with jobs. I did take him for some son-in-law/father-in-law bonding at tea time when we slipped to the pub (the village pub has just re opened!) for a couple of pints during which Chris played mom and cooked dinner.

Richard seems to have enjoyed his brief journey into the good life, and says he will miss the field, animals and especially the company of George and Maddie. I am trying to talk him into buying a dog..........

Richard's photo of young Rogo.

Wicked Musical - Defying Gravity - Vicki Noon

I found this on you tube and although I don't hold with the recording of live theatre I think it does underline how good the sing actually was in the San Fransisco production.......Mz Noon was the understudy and cracking in the role.of Elphaba...a real star in the making.....

Picture Posts & field casualties

After 24 hours travelling, we finally got home tired and somewhat fatter than we had been 5 days ago! I know I am a big advocate of Terminal 5 at Heathrow, but I have resolved myself never to fly to America from London again.......nearby Manchester will do very nicely thank you very much.! We are both dreadfully jet-lagged
This evening I have taken an absolute age to download a few photos from the holiday which will bore/entertain/mortify my readers (delete as appropriate)
Above was the only sunny afternoon we experienced (Chris and I standing in Union Square) which was a little bit of a shame as bright sunshine does make the pastel shades of painted wooden houses of the city's hills, look quite European and rather cheery!

The first Morning we caught the obligatory Cable car down to Ghiradelli Square near Fisherman's Wharf and walked in the drizzle along a deserted pier. Look carefully and you can just make out the Golden Gate in the background . Having no one around was a hugely surreal experience

For me, a return visit to Alcatraz was a tourist highlight of our trip. The history of the prison is fascinating and is presented intelligently and theatrically in an award winning audio showcase. Below is Chris standing outside the main cell block

Only in America! The below nutcases are on a special "tour "of the city.....on these strange scooters vehicles...yeap they actually drive these death traps on the main streets.... Their tour guide is in the red.
A view of San Francisco and Telegraph Hill from the Bay

Below, The Golden Gate from below (Very Hitchcock's Vertigo!)

The wild Sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf

and of course my geeky tribute to The Towering Inferno...the scenic elevators at the Hyatt Regency! bliss!!!!

Richard has done a sterling job looking after the field animals while we were away. Even though we did sadly experience three casualties which couldn't be helped or foreseen in any way. Susan the poorly hen which I had kept going with injections of antibiotics finally died as did poor Robina, my eldest pure breed hen (who must have been around 7 years old). Richard found her collapsed in the run after a particularly heavy rainstorm.

Elizabeth the broody Buff hen has also sadly disappeared from her brood box and it looks as though she has been possibly taken by a passing fox. The eggs which she looked after so well for those first few days now have had to be destroyed .It was such a shame as Robina and Elizabeth were lovely hens

I have missed my girls!

City tired

I think we have all hit a peak..........
After walking the length of Lombard Street, the "steepest" street in San Francisco (no worse than the Prestatyn hillside road!!!) we had an amble to Coit Tower before the brilliant guided tour around Alcatraz.
Since my last visit to the rock (some 12 years ago), the National Park which oversees the island, has planted some beautiful wild gardens amongst the concrete and wire!
This afternoon we have indulged far too much on ice cream and cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory in Macy's and have stuffed ourselves stupid on calamari in Sears this evening..........
I must have put on half a stone at least!!!

Sunday Morning sleepless in San Fransisco

Hello! Yes I am on Trelawnyd time and everyone else seems to be on Pacific time! it is 6.30am here......14.30 in Wales and I am wide awake.
I couldn't be bothered reading in bed, so I have gone out in the mist for a walk around the block and am now sat in a deserted Hotel Lobby with only two chattering clerks for company.
Last night we went to the famous TOP OF THE MARK for Chris' birthday dinner and cocktails. I spent an obscene amount of cash, but the food was lovely and the views of the bridges,bay and city breathtaking.
We all enjoyed the evening for different reasons. Chris and Sorrel loved being pampered in that wonderful over-the-top American-ish way...I just loved the view and the ambiance of the room, which reminded me so much of the Promenade Room from The Towering Inferno!!! (also set in San Fransisco!!!-how geeky is that?)
There was a lounge singer, who belted out a few well know ditties, and Chris actually got up to dance the quickstep at one point!
Today we are off to Alcatraz (after a fat bastard breakfast at Sears of course)-Looks like a warm but rainy day again.......let's hope I have not peaked too soon

Rainy day in San Francisco

Quick holiday blog!
I have come back to the hotel to check reservations for Chris' birthday surprise (Dinner on the top floor of the Mark Hopkins Hotel overlooking the Golden Gate!
The weather here has been rather wet but not cold and we have crammed in a great deal (Bay cruise,too much fabulous food at Sears, cable car fun times and a surprisingly good musical in Wicked!) today Chris and Sorrel have gone shopping, so I have escaped good old Macy's for a morning at the Museum of Modern art and a geek visit to see the scenic elevators (yes, the ones that were featured in Towering Inferno) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel......bliss
San Fransisco looks lovely, so I will stop now and keep the photos and holiday gossip for when I get home......
Richard seems to be surviving animal duty!!!!